Nasa Wavelength

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Topic

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Instructional Strategies

SMD Forum

Soil Chapter-Soil: The Great Decomposer

In this hands-on activity, students conduct bottle experiments to learn about the conditions that best facilitate the decomposition of organic material in soil. In the lab, they observe changes in the decomposition of vegetable scraps by varying the temperature, moisture and light conditions.

SciJinks: What is the Polar Vortex?

This article explains the polar vortex: an area of low pressure (a wide expanse of swirling cold air) that is parked in polar regions. An explanation is also provided for high and low pressure systems.

Climate Kids: Play Power Up!

This online game allows participants to maneuver solar panels and a wind turbine in order to provide electricity to light five homes. Background information on sources of electricity- fossil fuels, solar energy and wind energy- is also presented.

Science Bulletins

This website presents ongoing research and recent discoveries in astrophysics, Earth science, and biodiversity. Each bulletin has three types of stories: documentaries (short videos from the field), data visualizations (based on NASA and NOAA data), and news snapshots.

Crater Creations: Moon

Learners will experiment to create impact craters and examine the associated features. Then they observe images of lunar craters and explore how the mass, shape, velocity, and angle of impactors affects the size and shape of the crater. This activity is part of Explore! To the Moon and Beyond!

Sundials: Observing and Using Shadows

This is an activity about identifying patterns of change in shadows as an effect of the Sun's changing position. This activity also discusses how shadows can be used to determine the time of day. Learners will build sundials and collect data based on their observations.